In cases where insufficient bone or non-ideal bone conditions are presented, bone grafting can be used to increase the volume and/or density of the bone at the desired dental implant placement site. With respect to the present invention, bone grafting is a procedure whereby bone is rebuilt in areas of the upper jaw that are bone-deficient in the areas under the sinuses. Lifting the sinus floor and or membrane and bone grafting allows the placement of ideally sized dental implants of sufficient length in situations where there is otherwise insufficient or nonideal bone condition. A sinus lift or socket/sinus or trans alveolar lift technique is used. The maxillary sinus is a hollow area in the upper jawbone above the teeth posterior to the canines. Bone volume at or near the sinus may be insufficient for implant placement for a number of reasons, including but not limited to bone loss due to disease or just plain disuse atrophy over time after having the teeth removed. In such situations, attempting to place an implant may push it up into the maxillary sinus due to the noted lack of bone or just plain not having sufficient bone to place a root form implant. Using a sinus/socket or trans alveolar lift technique in such situations provides the sufficient bone height necessary for placement of an implant, and the technique involves lifting the sinus membrane to allow bone grafting (sometimes the technique is generically referred to as a sinus augmentation).
The socket/sinus or trans alveolar lift technique involves an approach from the extraction cavity or healed alveolar crest with an osteotomy to just below the floor of the maxillary sinus, and the cavity space is gradually filled with grafted bone (or an artificial/synthetic bone grafting material) to push up the Schneiderian membrane (the lining of the maxillary sinus cavity) to obtain sufficient bone thickness for implant placement.